Hospital sorry for disease death

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A hospital trust has admitted liability for the death of a cancer patient who died of Legionnaires’ disease traced to a showerhead in a hospital building.

Daryl Eyles, 37, contracted a strain of the bacteria Legionella typically found in people with compromised immune systems, while he was being treated at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath.

The bacteria which leads to the disease was traced to a showerhead in a private room near the specialist William Budd Oncology Ward.

A post-mortem examination of Mr Eyles, who died on February 13, revealed he had traces of the disease, a rare form of pneumonia which affects water supplies.

The trust has issued a statement which read: “The Royal United Hospital NHS Trust and all the staff involved are very sorry for the death of Mr Eyles and extend their sincere sympathies to his family.

“The trust has now admitted liability for his death and the NHS Litigation Authority has made an offer of compensation to the family.”

Mr Eyles worked at the University of Bath as a security officer.

Dr Joyshri Sarangi, of the Health Protection Agency, which tackles outbreaks of infectious diseases, said: “As soon as the source of Legionella was identified at the Royal United Hospital, the trust carried out a thorough communicable disease investigation involving the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the Health Protection Agency and Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) Council’s Environmental Health Department. This investigation followed national guidelines and we are confident that this was an isolated case.”

The HSE issued an improvement notice requiring the trust to identify and assess the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria from work activities and water systems and take necessary precautions.

The trust statement said a programme of work to clean and disinfect water systems and chlorinate showerheads across the whole hospital site has now been completed, water temperatures have been raised and more frequent temperature readings are now being taken. 

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